The Boston Red Sox made a huge surprise move this offseason, which experts did not expect so early. Even though the Red Sox are focused on the big free agent name this offseason, Juan Soto, they have made a big move to bolster a major weakness during the 2024 season.
The Red Sox signed Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.75 million contract. Chapman brings a lot of experience to a shaky bullpen. He is a seven-time All-Star with 335 career saves, although he has been used primarily as a setup guy for the last three years.
Spotrac estimated Chapman's salary at $8.2 million, so the Red Sox's excessive overpaying of the 37-year-old proved that the pitching market is truly more expensive than expected. This contract could force other bullpen-needy teams to follow suit by paying higher than market value.
These four premier bullpen arms are due to see increased market value after Chapman's inflated payday.
Tanner Scott
There is no question that Tanner Scott is the top available relief pitcher this offseason. Scott had an exceptional 2024 season pitching for the Miami Marlins, where he was elected to his first All-Star appearance, and the San Diego Padres.
With the Marlins, he had a 1.18 ERA over 45.2 innings with 18 saves. The Padres acquired Scott at the trade deadline, where he still had an astounding 2.73 ERA, but only converted four saves. The 30-year-old is still in his prime and was expected to set the market for relief pitchers who signed after him before the Aroldis Chapman news dropped.
Spotrac predicts Scott to earn an average yearly salary of $16.4 million. Closers are always highly sought after, so with his caliber of pitching and Chapman earning $2.5 million over his projected market value, it would not be a surprise to see Scott sign a deal in the $18-20 million range annually.